The Afterworld
by Rad1anceU
Summary: Everything started with a car, it always does. A telling of the events that occurred 16 years prior to the start of the series and an outlook on the less tackled of the 3 Worlds. (Prequel to The Reaper's Tales)


**Hi this is not really an update as I'm just uploading Chapter 1 again T.T But this time it has some corrections ! Grammar isn't flawless yet, but it's an upgrade from before lol. ****I've also added a few more details/development and brought some modifications. **

**Look at the end for author's notes !**

_Before you start reading the chapter(or re-reading it), I wish all of you will find strenght ! This world-wide crisis and confinement is surely difficult to handle, but you all have to take care of yourself and not let it get to you. Let's all hope for good news to reach us soon. _

**Disclaimer : I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho and it's characters however I own any OC that will make an appearance in this fic**.

* * *

**Chapter I**

For deities and spirits alike, the scene felt all too much like deja vu.

In a busy and frenetic highway, a car _accidentally_ crashed against another one. The car that got hit diverted the wrong way and fell in a precipice with its tires flat and tearing. The car's windows bursted, causing glass shards to land everywhere like snow. Everything happened fast, _too fast_.

However, for the bored entity who was watching, it seemed like the carnage was taking longer than usual. After a last loud blast though, it eventually stopped, the lives of the small family inside the vehicle with it.

He smiled satisfyingly and slowly came down in the middle of the thick smoke, looking for the three souls he was supposed to ferry to the afterworld.

A small body and confused amethysts eyes were the first thing his gaze fell on. He expected a scream, cries of fear and sorrow, deniement but instead he was met with a bright and genuinely oblivious soul.

"Hi mister, have you uhm ... seen my parents ? I think we might miss our flight."

xxx

"For the third time, I'm _Koenma_ the Prince of Reikai or if you prefer the Spirit World, and you are indeed_ dead_. Now would you pay attention and behave inside of my office ?"

The little girl brushed her sky blue bangs off of her face to have a better look at what, or rather who, was in front of her. She did not know what was funnier, the speaker's appearance or what he kept on telling her, which she assumed to be a joke. Nevermind the fact she saw her own body lying limp in between teared tires and rocks only forty minutes ago. _Nevermind_.

Her gaze traveled for a moment around the room they were in, briefly taking notes of the beautifully carved in gold fournitures and the gem looking tiles. That place looked all too flashy and magical to be a work office right ? It had to be Disney Land. After all that was the destination her parents promised to take her to for her birthday.

Besides, what a literal toddler calling himself a prince would ever have anything to do with death and spirits to begin with ? It did not make any ounce of sense. Her gaze fell back on the desk's occupant and a silly smile drew itself on her lips but it quickly disappeared after the pointed look _Reo_, the dark haired man who picked her up earlier, sent her way.

Reo cleared his throat and addressed the 'prince' "Sir, I fear this young soul has yet to come to terms with what happened earlier in this highway. I suggest letting her reflect about it while we review the file."

The prince frowned indignantly but nonetheless complied with the man's suggestion. Whispering a few incoherent things under his breath, he grabbed with small chubby hands a book from the top of the pile on his desk and skimmed through it until finding the page he was looking for. A triumphant high pitched "Ha!" escaped his throat as he slammed down the opened book on the furniture's surface "Botan Sakuraba, born 11th June of 1969, height 125 cm, hobbies : drawing, playing piano and horse riding … hates apricots, strong smells and ...Uhm, claims to have been vegan since birth but has an addiction to ..fish ?… Isn't it a bit contradictory to your food regimen?" Koenma looked confusedly up from the book, waiting for some kind of justification. In all honesty it was not as if he really cared, but he tried to show interest and sympathy towards the soul for the sake of loosing up the tension in the room.

She frowned a bit and folded her arms at his question. With all the nonchalance a kid could manage to imitate, she answered "Unfortunately fishes aren't responsive enough, _your highness_."

Despite the last bit of her reply coming off as sarcastic he just hummed and went back to reading "Date of death 11th june of 1976, cause of death : car accident, although I don't think there's much need to specify it, for I'm sure you're aware."

This time she looked clearly irritated "Can you stop with this already ? And how do you know that much stuff about me ? You're being such a creep." but her outraged expression did not stay long on her face as a thought occurred her mind. Her face lighted up and a sly smirk found its way on her lips "Oh I know ! My parents told you all of this right ? They are really doing the most for my birthday."

Koenma sighed and closed his eyes in exasperation 'Oh dear' "I think you are getting carried away. All of this is serious. I can understand and accept some denial, but it's time to- Hey ! Would you listen ?"

She was not paying attention to him anymore and started searching the room for any trace of her parents "Where are they ? Oh, I'm sure they are hiding under your desk, can I get a look ?" the girl was about to drop herself on the floor but Reo grabbed her by the collar, visibly annoyed.

It was the first time he had to personally collect a child's soul, let alone such a turbulent one. Usually, tasks were easy. Collect the soul, drop them off in front of Koenma's office and get on with the next one. He was used to adults being afraid and cautious around him. Even if he had his fair share of almost hysterical deads, they did not last long in that state. Yet, this time it was different, because so far this ordeal seemed to be more of an elongated babysitting session, which he did not expect and was finding ridiculous.

Reo sighed and looked at her right in the eye "Botan, do you mind waiting for us outside ? We will be done soon." he was trying to address her in the nicest way possible, children were extremely sensitive he heard.

Botan pouted, finding the sudden dismissal upsetting but nodded nonetheless. Angering the handsome winged man and spending more time with the toddler were two things she definitely was not wishing for. The girl walked to the door and just before exiting the room waved back at Reo.

"Don't wander too far !" called out the prince at last but he was met with the loud bang of the closing door.

When she exited the room, she found herself face to face with a blue ogre. He was smiling and awkwardly scratching the back of his head, not knowing how to start a conversation with the young soul without scaring her away. The blank look with which she was staring back at him was unnerving too, especially since she did not seem to be about to utter a word anytime soon. But at least she was not screaming or crying right ? Must mean he was not doing _that_ badly.

He straightened his posture, thinking of an age appropriate subject to discuss with the child but she cut his trail of thoughts off.

"Are those horns real ?" she asked.

She was directly pointing at the baby horns he had on the top of his head, her eyes filled with both curiosity and amusement.

"I-I, yes ! These are real, little one !" he lowered himself eye level with her, letting her have a closer look.

Botan seemed skeptical at first but her doubts eventually disappeared when she realized that they were in fact quite natural looking. She proceeded to examine the strange being for a short while before her expression dropped. A weak sigh escaped her lips. Was she just dreaming ? She did not want to believe her current predicament, she still had hopes that her parents would pop up from behind a wall and shout 'surprise' but everything has felt so real that she was not sure anymore.

She realized something else. Ever since coming to that place, she had not been able to feel her parents' presence, which worried her even more. Botan never knew how to explain it, but ever since she was a baby she always felt some kind of "force" or "energy" surrounding people. An aura? That was the word her dad used when she told him for the first time.

As far as she remembered, it first started out with her feeling her own parents' lives. The warm, reassuring energy radiating from them whenever they would head for her cradle.

By her 4th birthday, that ability became even stronger that she could distinguish between animals and human beings. She could feel almost every one, besides fishes. Funnily, her inability to connect with them was what led her to believe they were not animals and that it was okay to eat them. _No response gets no consideration_.

The last few months, she acquired another set of skills, namely feeling people's motives and communicating with felines. The former helped her in more ways than one would imagine especially with all of these predators and bullies prowling around.

Then came the last "talent" that she did not know she possessed until a couple of days ago. However it seemed gone now, and she was not able to remember clearly what it was.

Botan closed her eyes thoughtfully and turned away from the blue being. She did not have much memories of what went down in the highway Reo mentioned in the office. She just had vague remembrances of several auras dangerously and helplessly flaring up, as well as her own, and then nothing. Closest thing she recalled was opening her eyes and not feeling any life near the spot she was sitting, as if she was alone in the world, until her eyes locked with Reo's-

The clearing of a throat made her look right at the ogre. He smiled and introduced himself "My name is Jorge, I'm one of sir Koenma's employees. What's yours ?"

"Botan." she simply replied, a bit annoyed that he pulled her off from her thinking.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"..."

"..."

The silence started to get stressing, so he went on, trying to soften the atmosphere "Is there something you need ? Something you would like to know or-"

"Yes, am I really dead jorge ?"

_Straight to the point._

He gulped and stared at her for a little too long for her liking but he eventually relaxed and cautiously took her hand, placing it over the spot her heart was supposed to be situated "Do you feel anything ?" he asked.

She waited a few moments before her eyes widened in shock. There was nothing there, no warmth, no beating, _nothing_. The bluenette looked up terrified at the ogre "W-where is it ? Why isn't it beating?"

"Because you aren't living anymore, the 'body' you have now is like … uhm … a kind of container for your soul, I think you call it 'ghost' in the human world." he was not sure of his explanation but he thought it was close enough to the real thing "This place we are in is the highest level in the spirit realm, we call it the Yama fortress or the Judgment gates. This is where the prince and the King decide which soul gets to go to heaven or hell based on its past actions."

Botan frowned in deep reflexion, things started to make a little more sense "Oh there's a King too… Am I here to get like … Judged ?"

"Yep ! Sir Koenma and Reo are more likely trying to make a decision. But you don't have to worry ! Children rarely ever go to hell." he enthusiastically replied.

"Oh," she looked hopeful for a few seconds before her expression shifted to a sad and concerned one "Have my parents already been judged ?"

Jorge's eyes softened. He found it endearing how the little girl in front of him was showing more worry over her parent's fate than her own "They are in a better place now, don't be sad." he carefully picked her up off the ground and made her sit on his left shoulder "Cheer up a bit ! I'll show you around this world !"

"But they will get mad if I go too far …" she looked back at the closed door, a little hope that the nice man who brought her here would come out of the room.

"Don't worry ! We won't be gone for long." he happily chirped, securing an arm tightly around her knees to avoid any potential slip.

Botan smiled and allowed a giggle to escape her mouth for the first time since she 'died'. If she was left for dead now she might as well enjoy the last bits of time she had before hearing her upcoming fate. Her child nature made her thrilled to explore that "afterworld" as well.

xxx

She thought she was alone at first but the singular energy that seemed to become stronger and get closer made her stop dead in her tracks. She gulped and her shoulders tensed, not from fear but from _anticipation_.

She, fifteen years old Kuroko Sanada, has never been particularly afraid of anyone or anything. She may have been short yes, chubby yes and really shy yes, but punks and ghosts barely scared her for they could not do anything against her almost superhuman strength. Her parents were the renowned owners of a dojo temple after all, would be a shame if the child they infanted would have turned out to be a bratty weakling.

With all her might, she took a big intake of breath and sharply turned around, making her black bob-styled hair sway wildly in the wind. However before she could make any move or utter any threat, a stern yet soft female voice cut her off.

"I don't think it would be wise to flare yourself up now, miss Sanada."

The girl stood glued on her spot, mouth opened wide agape and eyes narrowed suspiciously. Now she sure has seen weird things in her life, she truly did, but this completely took the cake. 'Okay what now ?'

At a couple of meters off of the ground was a young woman cladded in a black kimono. An oar on which she was sitting seemed to keep her levitating. Her hair, tied in a bun, was as dark as Kuroko's and her eyes were of a bright blue color.

The teen blinked several times, she still could not sense what was the nature of the beautiful being in front of her but one thing was sure : she was not human, neither was she a demon.

"Uhm," Kuroko cleared her throat "Would you mind introducing yourself, miss-"

"Ayame." the young woman lowered herself to the ground and dusted off her kimono while holding her oar tightly to her side "My name is Ayame, I'm a spirit."

The girl blinked and ungracefully slouched her back, difficulty trying to process the informations that were spilled to her. It was not as if it was too unbelievable, of course not, the young Sanada saw and heard of way more unlikely phenomenons.

She looked at the icy faced woman a few times before straightening her posture "Right, a …huh...spirit, I don't think I've ever met one before." She awkwardly smiled and raised her hand towards Ayame, going for a handshake "Nice to meet you."

The older woman completely ignored the girl's attempt at sympathizing, as well as the glare she gained afterwards, and went straight to the point "We don't have much time, so I'll ask you to follow me." she drew her oar in the air again and motionned for the human girl to sit behind her.

Kuroko started to chuckle incredulously "Wait wait wait, how can I even trust you ? You just fell from the sky and can't even introduce yourself properly. Now you are asking me to follow you ? Ha ha sounds like a trap."

She kept her eyes glued to Ayame's face, waiting for the woman to smirk the same way those demons she uncovered by the past did when they tried to kidnap her but instead she could have sworn she saw the woman roll her eyes, looking genuinely exasperated "It's not time for games, if I was of any danger I'm sure you would have felt it from miles away. Now hurry, I can give you some more explanations on the way."

The girl frowned but decided at last to do as the woman said. She walked up to her and took a place on the oar "Where are we going ?"

"The Spirit World."

xxx

"Here ! Finally out of the castle, what do you want to start with Botan ?"

Jorge was over the moon. Ever since he got a job at the Yama fortress, he never really got to experience fun moments. His job was tiring and frenetic, his superiors were ruthless and the food, while decent, did not really compete with the good old cuisine of his home job he got inside of the castle was recent, he had been working there for a few weeks only.

Working for the royal family was always his goal. He thought that getting a job in the fortress would set him higher in the social ranks, onis were barely respected in the rest of the Spirit world. However the pressure and mistreatment he started to experience ever since he joined made him realize how much of a fool he had been. If anything, he felt lower in the ranking than before.

It was completely by chance that he found Botan in front of Koenma's office doors. Or rather, _almost_ by chance.

Work slowed down lately so he wanted to use his few days off to visit and get to know the castle better. However his boss' pissed off pleas caught his attention. Curiosity got the best of him so he ended up having the reckless idea to eavesdrop. Little did he know that someone, let alone a child's soul, would exit the room and unknowingly catch him red handed. He was scarred at first, but he was not expecting the situation to take that rather pleasant turn.

"I don't know a lot about this world Jorge," Botan replied "Start with whatever you want !"

He positioned the two of them better on the oar he rented earlier and then started to laugh "Ha ha okay ! So, the place we exited was the Yama fortress. Now if you look there at your right you'll see spirit world, if you look at your left you'll see spirit world too … likely."

The little girl snorted but smiled nonetheless. She turned to Jorge and pointed at him "And what is that ?"

"This, dear, is the best ogre of Yama- No ! The best ogre of the whole spirit world and since today your touristic guide, Jorge Saotome." he cockily replied, rubbing a finger under his nose with pride.

Botan dead panned but chose to not comment on it, instead she asked about something she kept on her mind for a while "Hey, earlier you said the Yama fortress was the highest level of the spirit world, are there other levels ?"

The ogre nodded "Yes, if you don't count Hell and Heaven there's a total of five levels in the spirit world, all as vast and impressive as each others. Four of these are protected by a strong barrier, kind of like a Sphere."

She listened attentively to his explanation all the while observing the ample river Styx under them, muttering a small "Wow" at the beauty of it.

"You like it right ?" he prodded "That river has been the path grim reapers guided souls along of for a very long time."

"I overflew it earlier with Reo- Oh !" she looked up at Jorge as realization hit her "Is Reo a … you know!"

Jorge looked confused for a moment but then got what she intended to ask, nodding enthusiastically "Yes ! He is indeed a grim reaper ! One of the strongest and most influential of this world too."

"Really ? How many others are there ? How do they look ? Where do they live ? I thought they looked scary but asides from his wings I don't think there's anything scary about Reo, he looks more like a prince than Koenma does…." Jorge sweat dropped at the curiosity and excitement that was emanating from her. He also thought the last part of her statement was not wrong but he was certainly not rash enough to say it out loud.

"Well," he began "There are actually a lot of grim reapers and they exist in a various amount of shapes and personalities. Some look more humans, others look pretty monstrous. Some ferry souls aboard a small boat, others have huge wings to fly like Reo. Some can be seen by living beings, but most stay invisible or else people would be scared for life ! They all live outside of the safe Sphere, though, I don't really know the reason but seems like these creatures don't like to bend by our lifestyles."

She took in every bit of information given to her by the ogre, starting to find that world more and more fascinating "Asides from grim reapers, what kind of beings do you find in this world ?"

"Quite a lot, for one creatures like me, ogres. And spirits, like Lord Koenma." he replied "Spirits lived in this world since forever, just like you humans did on earth. Ogres were created by the King centuries ago, to protect from external threats and guard the Hell's gates but over time, as Spirit World grew stronger, we kind of became the main handymen of this world."

"I see." she said "Are the other levels identical to this one ?"

"Not really, all the levels are different. I believe I already told you the purpose of this one we are in right ?" he asked her.

"You did ! Judgements take place here."

He nodded, satisfied to see the girl has been listening, "Exactly, this place is the closest to heaven. There are four levels under it and then comes Hell."

"What are those levels Jorge ?"

"The level just under this one is the royal domain, _Shitenno_." he pointed downward "It's the second most important place of this world, it's heavily guarded by powerful fighters called S.D.F"

She blinked at the weird name "S.D.F?"

"Yes, _Special Defense Forces_, they ensure that nothing endangers the Human and the Spirit Worlds. Shitenno is also guarded by the Royal family's ancestors' souls, only special delegations can freely enter this part of the Spirit World." he explained.

"Doesn't Koenma live in the Yama Fortress?"

"He does, both him and Enma Daioh. But Shitenno is still their main home and the center of power." he resumed "After Shitenno comes _Inari_. That place is the richest and noblest part of Reikai. The big majority of people living there are _original spirits_."

"What are original spirits?" she questioned.

"It means these inhabitants were there since forever, they directly come from past deities' lineages. In a way, they are the 'purest' beings of the Reikai." he held up his hand and started to enumerate "Inari has a lot of things going on there, cult, commerce, arts-"

She caught his hand, bringing his attention back to her "Are there other kind of spirits ?"

He puffed his cheeks at her rude behavior "I was coming to it ! The fourth level is _Jizo_. That's where the spirits who are not pure live. Most ogres have a territory there as well. It's different from Inari in a lot of ways."

"How is it different ?"

"Well for one, Jizo is less fancy and a lot more modest but life is still satisfying there. The inhabitants are looked down upon a lot by pure spirits but their hard work and presence is important to keep balance between all the levels. All of these levels I enunciated are part of the safe sphere."

"Wait Jorge I don't get it," Botan shook her head, not quite getting the previous point "What makes these spirits less pure than the ones at Inari."

"Simple, they are not pure because they are non spirits who got a second chance at life- OH!" his eyes widened and he clapped a hand over his mouth 'Oh my god I was not supposed to tell her that'

That was one of the things he hated about himself, why could he not keep these things to himself ? Professional secrecy ? Out of the window. The girl narrowed her eyes at him and was about to ask another question yet again but he quickly looked down and pointed at something. Anything to distract the kid. "Look over there !"

Botan blinked and reluctantly averted her gaze towards the spot he was pointing at. It was a small chained portal located at the foot of one of the many small mountains constituting the landscape. She shifted forward, nearly falling off from the oar but thankfully Jorge quickly caught her "Hey watch out there ! I can't swim nor fly fast enough to save you."

"Where does this portail lead to ?" she asked, ignoring his warning.

"It leads to the last level, _Tamashii no Keimusho_ or the Spirit's prison, it's the closest place to hell. The gap separating the Prison from the safe sphere is equal to the one separating Heaven from Jizo."

"So there's no way prisoners would infiltrate the safe sphere ? Why is there a portail here then ? I would be afraid mean criminals would find the portal and crawl their way here."

"Ah you should not be worried Botan, before trying to make a breach in the barrier they would have to make it past Grim Reaper's territories which are pretty much the whole unprotected part of the Spirit World and believe me," he looked forward with a solemn expression adorning his face "Reo and all the others would not let that happen !"

She let out a small giggle at the ogre's mannerisms and looked away "Speaking of Reo, do you think they finished their talk ?"

"Hum how about getting back to the castle to check then?"

She nodded and smiled, but she was quick to notice something far away behind the ogre. And it seemed to be coming towards them. "Uhm … Jorge ? What is this behind you, it's coming here … really fast."

The ogre swiftly turned around and let an audible gulp ring in the air "That's an S.D.F shuttle."

xxx

"So," he passed a clawed hand in his ebony hair, noting briefly that the strands were starting to get long "What do you think would be the best option for this soul ?"

The prince hummed "I wonder Reo, I wonder …" he scribbled down some things on a paper and putted it back on a pile "You seem more engaged in this judgment than usual, it's not like you to get attached to souls you ferry, why is that?" He looked up at the powerful grim reaper in curiosity. It was not customary of him to stay discussing the fate of a soul, let alone show concern.

"I don't know sir, things can't always be explained." the ferryman answered. He did not have any answer to provide to his Boss' inquiry as he did not quite understand himself why he suddenly got softer towards the child despite not having been in her company for long. Was it something about her spirit potential that triggered his interest or was it just the odds taking a strange turn in her favor ? He had no idea but was not prone on dwelling on it either "She had a good control and awareness in her life, you may have noticed."

Koenma nodded, a light frown marrying his features "I kept a close eye on her and a couple of other children. Humans lose their awareness as they grow, but in their case it seemed to increase greatly" he aligned fives files side by side and read "Botan Sakuraba age 7, Miho Yagi age 8, Sourai Watanabe age 13, Daisuke Aizawa age 11 and last but not least Shinobu Sensui age 9. People like them always end up being of good use for the spirit world in one way or another."

Reo blinked at the last name "Isn't the last one still alive ?"

"He is," Koenma cautiously presented the file to him, recalling the incident that occured the week before. The child was on his way home when a driver almost rammed him with his car. "his soul was supposed to join us five days ago, however he turned out to be one of these special cases."

"Hum, the one whose death is written in stone but miraculously avoids it I suppose ?" the reaper skimmed through the said boy's records, noting with astonishment how skilled he was "Humans like him come in rare amount on Earth."

The prince nodded "Yes. According to the divine calendar, the contrary will happen in sixteen years."

"Hn," Reo snorted "Surprisingly I've never been able to witness this myself, I'd like to be in charge of the next one."

Koenma leaned back against his seat and looked up at the ceiling in contemplation "Humans are fascinating, especially when they start to pick up some of our gimmicks, it's kind of a waste to let those with great amount of power just fade away after death."

The man closed the record and put it back on Koenma's desk all the while making sure to not drop any paper "That's why your dad decided to give some of them a second chance, you wouldn't risk losing raw spirit energy users."

"Pretty much." the prince acquiesced "But we have to be cautious with what kind of people we want to revive and for what purpose. If they died young, it most of the time means that they were not meant to contribute to the human world in any particular way and it doesn't necessarily guarantee that they'll find an utility among us either."

Reo hummed and mimicked the prince's actions "Jizo and Inari have been quite densely populated for decades now, realistically you don't need to revive anyone anymore as the current spirits can procreate between themselves."

"That's true, but we never know what kind of crisis could hit this world, so out of pure precaution, stopping that practice is not an option." Koenma sighed "We just have to up the standards."

The man looked back at the remaining folders on the desk in concentration before directing his gaze towards his interlocutor in curiosity "I get it these five, or rather _four_, children will then live in the spirit realm from now on ?"

"We already took a decision for three of them." the prince paused before resuming "You collected Botan's soul so the verdict regarding her is yours, Reo."

The dark haired man cautiously picked up the girl's record and starred long at the name before opening it. He did not particularly see anything inside it that would prevent her soul from being successfully recycled. She was still a kid that barely enjoyed life or got the opportunity to discover the world she was born in. Her spiritual awareness only got better with the few years she spent alive and while not particularly relevant to the case, her behavior has never been malicious. She was just a little girl who lost her life the day of her birthday. Normally she was definitely getting the best of both sides, Heaven.

However with all of this he was still unsure. What would be the most unfair fate he could pick from the two options they had for the child ? Preventing her from joining her parents and rest in peace in the purest place or taking away from her a second chance at life and an opportunity to make her own history ?

_What would be her choice ?_

He heard Koenma clear his throat and tore his eyes off the file "You are aware you will have to keep an eye on that soul's development ? It's up to you to decide if you'll be able to commit to your obligations as a guardian if she turns out good." the prince said then looked right at his employee, a serious and solemn glint in his eyes "Or as a an executioner if her soul rots."

"What are the signs that shows a soul is rotten ?" Reo asked, though he perfectly knew the conditions of that ordeal.

"The same signs you witnessed at Tamashi no Keimusho, would be a tragedy if it blooms inside the Sphere."

The ferryman smirked and stood from the chair elegantly, having inwardly made his decision "Then it's time to prepare her soul for the ritual."

Koenma blinked in surprise "You have me genuinely surprised Reo, I didn't think that would be your decision." he quickly gathered all the records and hopped off from his seat "Well, let's go in that case, Ayame will be here shortly with the new spirit detective, we can't afford to lose anymore time."

"Oh ?" It was Reo's turn to look surprised, he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to his boss "That soon ? I don't think there has been any upheaval in the human world yet recently."

The prince hummed "That's right, but then again precautions, we have to do ever-"

Commotion outside of the office cut Koenma's sentence off and made both of them look over the door. Several voices could be heard, clashing in what sounded like an argument. The ferryman walked forward and swiftly opened the door, the prince following him closely.

Their eyes widened in horror at the scene before their eyes : Jorge was lying down on the ground, his face forcefully pressed against the floor. The bare parts of his body were covered in ugly purple bruises and bleeding cuts.

A total of four men dressed in blue combat outfits were surrounding him, each one of them holding a whip in their hands. The man who was standing the closest to the poor ogre had big circular golden earrings and slicked back blue hair.

Koenma flinched in shock when he recognized him. There was only one person in this entire castle that would take such a pleasure into torturing weaker spirits.

"Shunjun…" he loathingly murmured.

Said man was harboring a disgustingly cocky grin on his face, looking down at the wounded creature with great disdain "You have been wandering around the Spirit World with a soul pending judgement, that alone could get you charged. But you still went beyond," Shunjun brought his feet above Jorge's right hand and crushed it, smirking with satisfaction at the pained and weak scream the ogre let out "Disclosing a secret passage to a ghost that could have ran away _any_ second, what were you thinking?"

Jorge tried to respond but he could barely talk, instead his apology came out in a feeble sough "T-that won't happen again… Please have mercy."

"Hn, the irreparable has been done now, you'll have to suffer the consequences." the man put more pressure on his feet, enjoying the cracking sounds Jorge's broken bones were making "Consider that a warming up session for the punishment the King has in store for you. I believe your foolhardy behavior will be fairly rewarded."

The ogre started to roughly scratch the tiles of the floor, trying to cope with the increasing pain and the feeling of his bones being reduced to dust. It was unbearable. Botan who had previously been pushed asides by one of the SDF, gasped in shock. In the heat of the moment, her fear quickly became anger and she charged at Shunjun's leg "Hey leave him alone!" however her prestation did not have the impact she hoped for.

Shunjun sneered at the small child and harshly jolted her off of his leg, making her fall right next to the ogre. She shrieked, rubbing her small hips sore from the impact.

"Here comes transgresser number 2." he slowly approached her, reveling in the way she was starting to cower while still trying to look somewhat enraged. He chuckled "You'll have to be punished too, the imbecile who collected your soul should have warned you, I wonder who it was ?"

"That was me." someone called out in an almost showy tone.

Startled by the sudden voice, they all looked at the source of it, behind them. Shunjun's face contorted in a mixture of disgust and fright as his eyes found both Reo and the King's son standing in the hallway.

"Sir ...Sir Koenma …" Jorge sounded relieved.

"Shunjun." The prince's voice came out cold, if looks could kill the man would have already been reduced to nil "Can I know what all of this is about ? Using violence inside the castle without a good reason is worth three days in prison. You know what it _implies_ for someone of your rank."

The fighter turned completely towards the two newcomers, any trace of fear completely whipped off from his face. Instead he faked a concerned expression "Sir, I'm afraid you might have misunderstood the situation. That employee of yours has broken several rules and showed open hostility towards my men, so-"

"That's not true!" Botan interrupted but he ignored her, focused on sizing up the prince's reaction.

Koenma frowned deeply and balled his fists, his sides shaking "The way you are dealing with this matter is not appropriate, I won't condone that behaviour from people that had us put our lives in their hands."

"Your majesty, don't say that," Shunjun replied "I'm only watching out for that world's sake."

A chuckle started to reverberate in the hallway and they both directed their attention to Reo.

The ferryman walked past the remaining SDF members, none of them reckless enough to deal with him. He knelt before both Botan and Jorge, gently checking up on both of them. The ogre's wounds were bad be it was nothing that could not get treated. As for the girl, asides from her obvious fear, she looked alright for the most part. _Good._

He turned his head up towards the blue haired man, an almost mocking glint in his golden orbs "You are quite brave, thinking you would have the King on your side after half-assing such an important task. Kind of destroyed his expectations if you ask me."

Shunjun narrowed his eyes "What are referring to, may I know ?"

"You know it," Reo's hands started to glow in a blue-ish light "Couldn't even finish off Yoko Kurama after having all the odds in your favor. Even worse, you let his demonic soul infiltrate the human world, did that experience make you realize you weren't as strong as you thought?"

He brought his palms to Jorge's back and broken hand, letting the light circulate and coat the ogre's body completely. He did not want to look up again at the fighter but he knew he greatly hurt the other man's pride "It's not right to take out your frustrations on someone else, you are the only one to blame Shunjun." his tone could have been assimilated to a caring chiding, but there was more to it. A deep, repressed hatred.

The said man tried to fight the urge to lash out at the grim reaper and violently gritted his teeth, but his obvious wrath flared up his spirit energy. Koenma observed both men carefully, inwardly hoping that the confrontation would not take a worse turn. However, by the way things were going he had to put an end to it before a fight occurs "Both of you that's enough." he tried to warn calmly.

_They were complete opposites._

Being a S.D.F officer meant you had to protect lives and pay your respects to a whole breed while in the process trample on the weird ones. Being a grim reaper meant you had to take away lives and _be_ a weird one. It was a given that the two men would have never appreciate each other's existence.

"Reo, you should not let us go there." Shunjun said, his voice shaking.

"Oh ?" the ferryman absentmindedly uttered. He looked closely at Botan's left forearm, noticing bright red marks, an indication that someone might have roughly and forcefully grabbed her "I'm not leading you on in any way, but you might need someone to cool you down." he stood up and completely faced the fighter.

The blue head smirked "My, my, is it for these two weaklings that you are mad? I was not expecting the head ferryman to be that sensitive." he took a couple of steps until he was standing a short distance away from the entity. The now recovering Jorge and Botan scouted closer to each others, watching anxiously as their assailant tried to outface the man who just took care of them. He watched Reo's reaction for a moment before adding "Oh I get it! You probably relate to these two, don't you?"

"That forced boldness of yours will lose you." Reo replied. He observed his opponent some more and carried on "You and I both know the position you have today was only due to some strings pulled behind the scenes, based on morals and skills alone no one would have ever considered you if it wasn't for what happened _that day_."

Everyone around the two men gasped in surprise and confusion. One of the SDF agents hurried to Shunjun's side and grabbed his right sleeve, looking distressed "Chief, what is he saying? Don't let him disrespect your name that way!"

_Not good, not good at all_. Botan gulped. She had no idea of what was implied here but she knew it was _not good_. He did not use any of his powers against them yet, but the waves of energy that were radiating off from him now were keen and sordid, to think a spirit could generate that type of aura was frightening.

Shunjun looked at the younger officer and without warning punched him in the stomach, sending him waltz away towards the wall. He then sharply faced Reo and raised his hand to his neck, almost scratching the ferryman's pale skin "Shut the fuck up."

"I thought I already told both of you that it was enough." Koenma raised his voice more this time, taking a few steps forward but his second warning did not gather the attention he excepted. Even the Prince's voice wavered, he was unsure of what to do. Words and threats were barely effective when honor was at stake.

Reo wrapped his fingers around Shunjun's wrist and yanked it down. He met the man's rabid gaze with a defiant and icy one of his own "I wouldn't try my luck that far if I were you."

"Or what ?" he challenged.

"There's no _or_." his eyes started to light up "Lotan might just think he found his dinner."

"What are you s-" the fighter cut himself off when he felt something scrape and ascend his legs and back. Realization hit him as a hissing sound vibrated next to his ear. For the first time, Shunjun's voice start to tremble in terror "What- What do you think you're doing ?"

"Nothing, he just seems hungry." Reo replied nonchalantly, not seeming a little bit phased by the situation "But it's okay, I cannot stand your sight anymore."

"N-No, please get him off of me. I didn't mean anything of what I said, _please_!" Shunjun sounded desperate, it seemed like he would cry. That was the true nature of that fighter Reo knew so well. A man that was all words, a man losing all of his false fortitude in the face of danger.

That was precisely the man that world and its higher ups were so proud of, a fact that _disgusted_ the reaper.

Everyone froze to their spots, eyes going wide as they observed a huge snake-like creature sizing up the man. Its head, as big as a lion's, was dangerously close to Shunjun's face. The glint in the monster's eyes was akin to one of starvation.

Even Koenma stood powerless, not being able to think properly. After all what could he do against a Lotan, a monster he had no control on?

At last the big snake widened his maw, getting it closer to his to be victim's head, making him weep to the reaper a last time "Please … stop!"

_Pathetic._

Just before the beast closed its mouth around Shunjun's head, two voice screamed in unison "STOP!"

The snake disappeared suddenly in a poof and all of them looked back in surprise at Jorge and Botan who were hugging each others thightly, preparing themselves for the inevitable.

"What did you just say?" Reo blinked at both of them.

The child whipped off the tears from the corner of her eyes and looked pleadingly at him "Please, don't do it Reo, it's not right."

"Y-yeah!" Jorge chimed in "I'm not forgiving Shunjun but I feel better now thanks to you, we don't need to resort to this! You're better than-!"

A loud thud and a whimper interrupted the ogre. Shunjun had just fell on his knees, trying to catch his breath with difficulty. The three other SDF fighters ran to him, checking on any physical damage the snake could have caused. However they were taken aback as nothing on their chief's body could attestate of the creature's passage "T-That's impossible!" one of them uttered in disbelief "You all saw it right?" they all nodded and turned expectantly towards the other group as Koenma spoke.

"I think you went a little too far this time Reo," the prince said, walking up to the ferryman "It looked too real, even I got fooled." his tone was filled with exasperation but still had a small amused note to it.

Reo shrugged, a sneaky smirk adorning his features "That's not even the best prestation I can create, but you know what? I'm satisfied." he turned to the SDF group, carefully observing their chief who looked completely hollow "Alas, the imagery in his mind was heightened, he'll need a couple of hours to recover from the shock."

The prince narrowed his eyes "You look way too happy."

"I am." Reo was basically beaming now.

_Childish_ "I see ferrying your first child soul is rubbing off on your usual coldness."

The ogre and the child looked at each others confusedly, not quite understanding what they were talking about.

"What, all of this wasn't real majesty?" Jorge asked in bewilderment.

"It wasn't." The prince shook his head and looked back at Reo, frowning lightly "I can't say I agree with what you did, but it helped." he turned then to the group and harshly addressed them "Take Shunjun and go back to your quarters, I'll deal with all of you later."

They executed his orders right away, carrying their chief with them. Botan ran up to Reo and hugged his left leg tightly which made him raise a bemused eyebrow "May I know what have gotten into you?"

"I'm relieved! Don't be so cold, charming princes are supposed to be affectionate!" she replied with a huge smile.

She only gained a blank stare in return. Koenma chuckled, arranging the folders under his arm "Don't pay too much attention to it Botan, he's not used to affection."

"I don't think I ever spoke to you, shorty." She childishly stuck out her tongue at him which succeeded into making Koenma greatly offended.

"Y-you!" He roared.

Jorge swiftly grabbed him, trying to prevent the toddler from engaging in a kid fight with Botan "Your majesty, you can't do that, Sir Enma will be mad at you!"

"Get your dirty hands off of me ogre!"

Reo deadpanned at the scene but allowed a small chuckle to escape him, he had to admit that the current situation was a pleasant change from what occurred few moments ago. Heated confrontations were never his thing. He looked down at the little girl hooked on his leg, staring back at her big purple eyes for a moment before bringing his hand above her head and ruffling her hair "There's something we have to talk about Botan."

She blinked curiously but then remembered why she there in the first place "Oh right! My judgement I suppose? By the way, don't you worry, I know I'm dead."

_Cool._

Koenma who finally was able to free himself from Jorge's arms approached her with a serious look in his eyes "Our final decision. That's not something you'll have a say in but we thought it would be the best thing for you."

She looked back and forth between the Prince and Reo, feeling both fear and excitement "Then, what is it ?"

"You'll know once we are before the King."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed ! **

Whew the edited chapter is almost 1000 words longer than the original !

**Author's notes :**

I made a lot of drafts, a lot of brain storming and scribbling to finally know what I wanted to go on with. I hope that you, who will be reading this story, will find the time to review it and even give me constructive criticism if there's something that feels wrong.

As a writer, knowing that people are taking the time to read what we post is encouraging, and the only way for us to know is for people to comment on it.

Some details to know :

\- I took the anime timeline, not the manga's so officially the story starts in 1992 (I had to precise because there will be a lot of dates and events mentionned.)

\- I though about making it Botan centric but after a lot of reflexion I think it would be better to get into a lot more characters' past.

\- This fiction, like the title is hinting, will be mainly about Reikai and it's structure.

\- Kuroko's age was never mentioned in the serie, so I just assumed she is in her early-mid 30s (she's 15 in 1976)

\- I wanted to explore the idea of Botan being originally a human and not a centuries old spirit like it's theorized. The timeline might sound random but as the fic goes further you'll understand why I choosed it.

\- Sensui is 26 when he appears in The Black Chapter Arc, so I made a small calculation and found out he would have been born in 1967

Phew ! That was long. I never wrote a kid character so I don't know if I did decently in this chapter lol

I don't really know what I would call this chapter, I guess it's more like a prologue kind of thing ? I'm not sure lol


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